Somalia is now a full member of the East African Community (EAC), after depositing her instrument of ratification of the Treaty of Accession to the regional bloc, the EAC Secretariat announced on March 4.

The country submitted the instrument of ratification with the EAC Secretary General, as provided for by the EAC Treaty.

The move makes the Horn of Africa country the bloc’s eighth Partner State – other Partner States being Burundi, the DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.

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Speaking at the event held in Arusha, Tanzania, Somalia’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Jibril Abdirashid Haji, said this momentous occasion makes a significant step forward in Somalia’s journey towards this great regional integration and cooperation.

"Through increasing trade, bilateral agreements, and joint programmes and projects, Somalia aims to play an active role in the growth and prosperity of the East African region,” he said.

"We are committed to participating in initiatives that promote sustainable development, job creation, and improved livelihoods for our citizens, and all members of this esteemed community respectively,” he said.

"As we deposit this instrument of ratification today, let it symbolise not just a signature on paper, but a promise of dedication and cooperation. Somalia is ready to embrace its role as a contributing member of the East African Community, working hand in hand with each of you towards this brighter, more prosperous future for all East African member states and its citizens,” he observed.

EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki said the depositing of the instrument of ratification marks the start of the EAC integration work for Somalia, observing that joining the community has a lot of benefits.

"The community now expands to eight Partner States, with a population closer to 350 million people. That’s a huge market. With its longest coastline now, Somalia brings on board 3,300 kilometres of the coastline, and that is a serious economic implication in terms of the cost of transport of goods coming from East Africa to the rest of the world, and goods coming from the rest of the world to East Africa. I think we need to harness that,” he said, citing the development of relevant infrastructure.

With the development, he said that EAC is "a huge market and I am sure now we stand competitive with the rest of the world in terms of how we engage.”